The Kind Of Weird You Wanted In Your Life
by WeBeTheCrew
Summary: Best friends for almost a decade, Andre and Cat have been harboring deep feelings for one another; the only problem is that they're too shy to admit it to each other. Can a simple date be enough for the two to finally open up to one another?
1. Never A Dull Moment When She's Around

**Chapter One: Never A Dull Moment When She's Around**

She couldn't help that she loved to flirt with him.

Whenever he was near, she would try her best to get his attention.

That soothing singing voice of his, those charming eyes that made her weak-kneed, those bulging biceps… it all just drove her mad.

* * *

He loved the cheerfulness that she would bring to a room.

Even the silliest of things she would do was cute to him.

That velvety red hair, that adorable dimpled smile of hers, and that laugh that could brighten up any cloudy day.

* * *

He wanted to be with her.

She wanted to be with him.

Why couldn't they just admit it to each other?

* * *

It was another very cloudy November day at Hollywood Arts.

Been like that for most of the week.

The mere gloominess of it was having an affect on most of the students.

* * *

Andre Harris found himself dozing off during class.

He grew bored of listening about the mastering of facial expressions.

_At least it's Friday, then I'm home free for the weekend._

Only problem was that it was 11 a.m. and he still had a history test to take.

**_Riiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggg_**

"Thank, God!" he sighed, jumping quickly out of his seat and rushing out of the classroom.

* * *

Being anywhere else was much, much better than being in that sleep-inducing class.

Andre could practically feel the drowsiness leaving him as he headed for his locker.

On his way there, he bumped into Robbie, who looked really depressed.

_Bet it's something about a girl._

"Hey, Robbie." asked Andre, opening up his locker, "What got you down, today?".

Signing heavily, Robbie leaned against the lockers and explained, "Jeez, where do I begin? I was rejected _again_... by three girls. The first girl flat out rejected me, the second girl was just passing by and told me to not even think about asking her out, and the third... get this, she faked a heart attack just to avoid giving me an answer."

Andre then remembered that he saw an ambulance leave the school earlier.

"Uh, I don't think she was faking." stated Andre, taking out his history textbook, "There was an actual ambulance that left the school earlier."

"Well, that just make things _so _much better." Robbie replied, sarcastically.

Even though Andre knew that Robbie pretty much asked out 99.9% of the girls of H.A., he decided to try and help him out, "Cheer up, man. There are still plenty of fine girls out there for you to date."

"I don't know. I just wish that one, just **one** girl would just agree to go out with me." sighed Robbie, gazing up at the ceiling, "I know! What about Cat?!"

Hearing this instantly stopped Andre's heart.

Robbie… and Cat?

He really didn't like the sound of that.

Not at all.

But he really wanted to help Robbie with his dilemma.

If he wasn't going to help him, who would?

* * *

"Cat? I guess she would go out with you." replied Andre, hesitantly, "I mean, she already likes you."

While Robbie started to look really hopeful, Andre started to look worried.

_What the hell am I saying?! Why would I say that?!_

"Yeah! I gotta at least try to ask her out." Robbie smiled, "But I really have to make sure that this works out."

Andre knew where this was going… and he hated it.

"Do you think you can help me?"

_Hell no! No! Don't even think about it! Robbie is a good friend, but… I can't. I just can't._

"Sorry, but I'm going to be really busy for most of this week." lied Andre, avoiding Robbie's gaze, "Really wish I could help but I can't."

Slowly, Robbie began to once again look disappointed.

"Oh, okay. I guess I do need to do this by myself." he sighed, as he walked off, "I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Once Robbie was gone, Andre breathe a huge sigh of relief.

_Why in the hell did I have to give him that idea?! Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut?! *sighs* At least he's gone now._

"Thank goodness." Andre sighed, closing his locker door, "That was a close one."

"What was a close one?" asked a voice behind him.

Quickly turning around, Andre was surprised to see Cat standing there.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just worried about that test I have to take." Andre lied, clutching his textbook.

Leaning back against the lockers, Cat replied, "You're not the only one who's worried. I've been up for most of the night trying to study, but my brother wouldn't stop making noises."

"What kind of noises?"

"Mooing. He's trying to see if he can talk to a cow that he bought."

"He bought a cow?

"Yeah, he keeps it in his room. It's really quite friendly." added Cat, as Andre eagerly listened, "Although, I wish my brother would at least wash him once in a while."

Conversations like this would normally weird out your average person; but for Andre, he grew to love them, even the most strangest of them all.

He guessed that that was what really made Cat unique.

There was never a dull moment when she's around, and he liked it that way.

She was weird, but the kind of weird you wanted in your life.

* * *

"So… what was it you had to ask me the other day?" asked Cat, curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I was about to leave Sikowitz's class, and you stayed behind..."

Slowly, Andre began remembering what Cat was talking about.

* * *

He was finally about to do it; he was gonna ask out Cat Valentine.

Andre had been putting this off for several weeks, but now was the moment of truth.

Waiting until nearly everyone had left the classroom, Andre walked over to Cat, "Hey. Uh, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Cat smiled, as she held onto Mr. Purple.

Staring deep in her eyes, Andre began to think about what he was gonna say.

_Just say it! Just tell her that you like her a lot and that you want to go out with her. It's that simple!_

But when it came to forming those words with his mouth, Andre found it extremely difficult.

It also didn't help that Cat looked really nice in her cute outfit.

_Dammit! Why does she have to be so adorable?_

Trying to find something else to focus on, Andre found himself looking at her shoes.

"Nice shoes, really nice. Are they comfortable?" he asked, completely upset with himself.

Confused, Cat replied, "Yeah, I guess."

_Her shoes? Her shoes?! Really?! Ugh, I suck!_

Having lost all his courage and feeling completely embarrassed, Andre sighed, "Good, I-I'll talk to you later. Sorry to bother you."

"Okay... guess I'll see you later." Cat uttered sadly, as Andre left the room.

* * *

"Oh, that. That was nothing." Andre sighed, as Cat looked up at him, "I was just being silly."

"Hmm, okay." smiled Cat, as she started to walk off.

Turning to face his locker, Andre banged his head against the keyboard door.

_That was the perfect time to ask her..._

* * *

"Hey! I forgot to ask you something."

Looking behind him, Andre saw that Cat had returned.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" she asked, tugging on the strings of her hoodie.

"Nothing really. I'm pretty much free once school's out." answered Andre, curious as to what she wanted, "Why do you ask?"

Slowly, Cat began to smile brightly, "Meet me at the front entrance of the mall at 4."

_Wait... was she asking me out... on a date? _

"Uh, for what?" he asked, wanting to know more about these plans.

"Just wait and see." Cat responded, as she started to back away from him.

"Wait, so I'm not getting any hint at all?"

"No, it's a surprise, but you'll definitely love it." smiled Cat, giving him a very flirty wink.

* * *

That wink alone got Andre excited for school to end.

_Fuck! The things that girl do to me. Ugh, can school hurry up and end already?_

After thinking about it, Andre realized something.

_This could be the chance that I was waiting for. Not only do I get to spend some alone time with Cat, but maybe I can see if we can **finally** take things to the next level._

But then something else came to his mind.

Something that he really wished didn't bother him.

Robbie was already about to ask Cat out, and here Andre was about to spend the afternoon with her.

He somehow felt kinda dirty for wanting to be with Cat, even though he knew that Robbie liked her as well.

But then Andre thought of it this way: Cat and Robbie were friends, but not _close_ friends. Cat and Andre have been really close friends for almost 8 years.

Robbie just started to have a little crush on Cat. Andre has been wanting to ask Cat out since 8th grade (for some reason, whenever he was single, she would be in a relationship and vise versa.)

Then there was that _moment _that happened several months ago that really messed up Andre and Cat relationship.

But that was a story for another time.

* * *

So why shouldn't Andre finally get with the girl who he dreams of being with?

Andre was nowhere near realizing that answer and really didn't feel like thinking about it anymore.

He had a history test which was about to start soon.

But nothing related to what he studied was on his mind.

Cat was.

* * *

**This is just the start of the revised version of The Kind of Weird You Wanted In Your Life.**

**I took down the original version, simply because I wasn't satisfied with how it was going.**

**This version, however, is going to be somewhat different.**

**Most of the plot will still be there, but there will be certain parts that are either taken out or added.**

**(For instance, the scene in this chapter where Andre fails to ask Cat out was not in the original draft.)**

**So if you read the original version before, expect to see lots of new changes to this version.**

**Even though I said that most of the plot is the same, don't assume that a lot of the events that happened in the original will indeed happen.**

**This story is far from finished, so a lot of the outcomes might be different.**

**Anyway, I'm happy to have republished this story and to finally do it right this time.**

**Also, shout-out to AlwaysForeverCandreorJandre.  
**

**That PM you sent really helped a lot with me bringing this story back.**


	2. Because Of Mr Purple

**Chapter Two: Because Of Mr. Purple**

As she stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, she couldn't help but smile.

It was less than 30 minutes before Cat was suppose to meet Andre at the mall.

The sheer excitement she felt was becoming harder for her to contain.

She had actually gained the courage to ask Andre out!

Now all she had to worry about was whether or not her plan would actually work.

"You got this far. You asked him out. You just have to let him know the truth." stated Cat, as she tried to encourage herself.

"You've known him for so long, you shouldn't be afraid to just tell him." she continued, as she began brushing her hair, "Stop being nervous. Stop being nervous!"

"Are you okay there?" asked someone.

Turning around, Cat was glad to see Jade standing at her doorway.

"Oh! Jade! Thank goodness you're here!" yelled Cat, rushing over to her friend and pulling her towards the bed, "I really, really, really need your help!"

"I'm not helping you with your brother's cow." replied Jade, sitting down, "That thing creeps me out."

"The cow?"

"No, your brother."

"Jaaaade! It has nothing to do with my brother or his cow." whined Cat, sitting next to Jade and holding Mr. Purple, "I thought I could do this, but I can't."

Sighing heavily, Jade uttered, "You have got to be kidding me. You call me to give you a ride to the mall and now you don't wanna go?"

"No, I do. It's just that... I have to tell Andre that-" explained Cat, as Jade sat up against the headboard.

"Wait... Andre? You're hanging out with Andre? Alone? Oh, I see what's going on." Jade queried, with a very sly look, "You like him."

"No, no! He's just a friend. A really good friend."

"Sure, a good friend who you wouldn't mind seeing shirtless."

Hearing this made Cat gasp, the sheer thought of Andre shirtless made her tense up.

_Really wouldn't mind seeing that._

* * *

Noticing that Cat was starting to blush, Jade asked, "Don't lie. You like Andre, don't you?"

_Why am I even lying? It's so obvious now._

All Cat did was nod her head slightly.

"I knew it! I knew you had a thing for him. Sure, I had my doubts, but I knew it!" spoke Jade, as Cat tucked her head between her knees, "So let me guess, you're meeting him at the mall to suck face with him?"

Feeling embarrassed, Cat gasped, "I'm not going to the mall to do that! I just wanna spend some time with him. Some **_alone_** time. Then maybe... when the time is right, I can tell him that I don't want to be just friends."

From what Jade could tell, Cat really had deep feelings for Andre.

It made her realize that she should at least try to encourage her friend, instead of picking at her.

"Look… You can't let your fear get the best of you. If Andre doesn't like you that way, then it's his loss, not yours." stated Jade, placing her hand on Cat's shoulder, "If you really want to know what he think, you have to ask him."

Slowly, Cat started to lift her head up; she knew what Jade said was true and surprisingly, it made her feel much better.

_Jade's right. I won't know unless I ask him... but what if things go wrong **again**?_

As Cat sat there thinking, Jade noticed that she was clutching Mr. Purple tightly.

"Isn't that the same plush toy Andre bought for you during that trip to the zoo?"

Looking down at Mr. Purple, Cat replied, "Yeah, it is. He bought it just to make me happy. That alone is why Mr. Purple means so much to me."

* * *

Cat remembered that day all too well. It was about two months ago, during their field trip to the zoo.

On the ride there, there was nothing but pandemonium on the bus.

Spitballs flying, paper balls zooming around, loud chatter from the girls, disgusting belches from the boys.

It felt more like a bus ride to the insane asylum.

* * *

"This is ridiculous! Everyone is acting like a bunch of animals." Jade remarked, shoving a boy who bumped into her, "I don't see why I had to come on this trip."

"Come on, it'll be fun. Not only is it for a grade, but we'll get to see the adorable little fishes, the funny monkeys, and the cute little dolphins!" beamed Cat excitedly.

"I'll tell you what would make this trip worthwhile; seeing a zookeeper being chased by a lion. Now that would be fun." smiled Jade.

Frowning, Cat replied, "That doesn't sound so fun to me."

"Me neither…" added a voice from the seat in front of them.

Turning around in his seat, Andre apparently had listened in on Cat and Jade's conversation.

Feeling her heart jump, Cat didn't expect Andre to agree with her.

"…I would rather see a zookeeper attacked by a group of wild monkeys." laughed Andre, as Jade joined with him.

Sighing, Cat was a little disappointed by this.

Shrugging it off, she asked, "So, Andre, are you excited about seeing all the wild animals?"

"Well, they're not exactly _wild _animals, but I guess I am a little excited to see them." replied Andre, dodging a flying paper ball, "Out of all of them, the penguins are pretty much all I wanna see."

"Penguins? You like those fat, little birds?" asked Jade, laughing.

"Sure, it's funny to see them waddling around in their tiny tuxedos." smiled Andre, "What about you two?"

"I honestly don't feel like being here." Jade quickly answered, "But since there's nothing else to do, I might go check out the bats."

"Aw, I knew you had a reason for coming to the zoo." uttered Cat, as she unsuccessfully tried to hug her friend.

"Try to hug me again and I'll make you a permanent resident with the crocodiles." Jade threatened, while Andre laughed at the two.

"Okay! No need to get all threatening." Cat said, keeping her hands off Jade, "Anyway, I'm excited about the new giraffe exhibit. A lot of people say it's gonna be awesome."

"Yeah, people with no lives." Jade sassed.

"Shush! It's gonna be amazing." fussed Cat, ignoring Jade's negativity, "Um, if you want to, you can come see the exhibit with me."

_Please say yes! Please say yes! Please say yes!_

"Sure. Can't wait to see it." Andre answered, turning back around in his seat.

* * *

Once Andre got into a conversation with some other guys, Cat squealed a bit. She could barely contain the excitement that she was feeling.

Looking over at Jade, Cat saw that she had a very sly expression.

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Jade smirked, as they finally arrived at the zoo.

* * *

After spending over 40 minutes on a tour of the zoo, the students were allowed to freely roam the exhibits.

Realizing that now was the perfect time to check out the giraffes, Cat and Andre left the rest of their group and ventured off.

Passing by the snakes, the zebras, and the elephants habitat, the two finally arrived at their destination, _Tall Wonders of the Savannah_.

_So far, so good. Just keep calm and relax._

All throughout the exhibit, there were numerous giraffe related displays, a presentation on their daily lifestyle, and a tower of giraffes themselves.

"It's strange how a group of them are called a _tower_. None of them are standing on top of each other." Cat wondered, as they stopped in front of the habitat, "So how exactly is that a tower?"

"Each one could be a tower just by themselves. Maybe a _city _of giraffes would be more appropriate." chuckled Andre, gazing at the tallest of the giraffes, "Imagine getting kicked by one, though. It'll probably put you in the hospital for days."

As Andre continued to look on, Cat subtly moved closer to him, "I know, it's truly amazing."

Cat caught most of what Andre was saying, but she kept getting caught up with getting him to acknowledge her.

"That is pretty amazing." uttered Andre, slightly confused, "In a brutal kind of way."

* * *

Moving along the exhibit, they came across another tower of giraffes. This group, however, were much more interesting.

As Cat got closer, she noticed that one of the giraffes had mounted another.

Taking her by surprise, Cat laughed, "Ha ha! They're humping!"

Andre couldn't help but laugh as well, "Hmm, looks like someone was definitely in the mood. Maybe we should give them some privacy."

"Yeah, maybe we should." Cat agreed, as they walked off from the _happy_ giraffes, "You two better be safe with each other!"

* * *

The thought of what they'd just saw was still lingering on Cat and Andre's mind.

Eventually, Cat decided to ask Andre something that's she'd been curious about.

"You ever... you know..."

"What?"

"Um, you ever done that?"

"Done what?"

"_That _back there."

Realizing what Cat was asking, Andre answered, "Oh! No, I haven't done _that_ yet. I know, it's embarrassing for me to even say that."

_Phew! That's good to hear!_

"Don't be... I haven't either." replied Cat, feeling more at ease with their awkward conversation, "So you haven't found the right girl or..."

"Who says I haven't found the right girl?" responded Andre, as they reached the exit of the exhibit, "She's there, but..."

_He already found someone?! Who could it be? I hope it's not that new girl... Tori. She's friendly and all, but she wouldn't be right for him._

"But what?" asked Cat curiously.

Taking a seat by the huge water fountain, Andre continued, "I think she only sees me as a friend."

"And you really like her?" Cat questioned him, determined to get an answer.

Nodding his head, Andre replied, "Yeah, I truly do."

* * *

Before Cat could reply, she noticed that Andre was about to say something, but quickly decided against it.

"What? What is it?"

"It's nothing."

"C'mon, tell me."

After thinking about it, Andre decided to tell Cat what he was going to say.

"Remember the first time we went to the zoo? We had to have been 8 or 9 at the time, and those older kids were picking at you?"

_I don't see exactly where he's going with this but..._

"How could I ever forget that day? You stood up for me and told them to leave me alone." Cat smiled, "It's one of the many times you've been there for me."

"Yeah, I did almost get jumped by those guys though, but that's not the point." added Andre, reaching to grab Cat's hand, "Anyway, I'll never regret doing things like that, because... I like standing up for you. Making sure that you're okay, and that you're happy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really care about you."

"Me too." Cat responded, blushing bright red, "More than you could possibly imagine."

_Could he have been talking about me earlier? God, I hope he was!_

As they continued to stare at each other, they started to feel something drawing them close.

Inch by inch, they moved closer to one another till there were mere centimeters apart.

Cat could almost feel Andre's lips locking with hers; the sweet sensation she was waiting for was almost there.

* * *

"Hey, Andre! What are you doing hanging out with that psycho?" shouted a voice.

Taken out of the mood, Andre and Cat separated from each other to see that it was Marcus Taylor, one of their classmates.

"You know Cat and I are best friends, Marcus." Andre responded, getting defensive of his best friend, "Although, I've been friends with her for years now and in all that time she has never liked being called 'psycho'. So don't do it again."

"Why not? It's not like she has any feelings." asked Marcus, walking over to Cat, "She's about as nutty as a fruitcake."

The look on Cat's face showed that she was about to cry.

"What's wrong? Is the Little Red Psycho Bitch about to cry?" pestered Marcus, waving his hand through Cat's hair.

Moving in front of Cat, Andre pushed Marcus back, "You about to cross the line, Marcus. Just turn around and leave us alone."

Not heeding the warning, Marcus continued, "Why are you defending her? Oh... wait, now I get it. It's one thing to be her friend, but now you're fucking her, too? You're crazier than she is."

From where Cat was standing, she could see that Andre was about to do something that could get him in trouble.

Before Andre even had a chance to swing his arm, Cat quickly grabbed it and used all her strength to hold him back.

"Don't. He's not worth it, okay?" Cat uttered, tearing up slightly, "Let's just go."

Taking a moment to calm down, Andre slowly moved away with Cat close by.

"Wow, you and your bitch gonna leave just like that?" laughed Marcus, obviously trying to start something, "You're weirder than I thought, Andre. But that's okay, that makes the two of you perfect together!"

* * *

Several minutes after the dispute, Andre and Cat sat in the zoo's cafe.

All Cat could do was sit quietly and stare at the grilled cheese sandwich that was in front of her.

She was really bothered by what Marcus had said about her, but what really bother her more was what he said about Andre.

_Psycho. Crazy. Loony. Ditsy. Stupid. Airhead. That's all they call me. But what if Andre and I really did get together? He'd be called the same things as well... and he went through enough just being the friend of the loony redhead. As we grew up together, he has been beaten up and mocked... because of me. Could I really put him through more of that?_

Looking up, Cat was surprised to see that Andre was nowhere to be found.

"Andre?" she called out, worried, "Where did he go?"

Almost as if he'd heard her, Andre rushed back into the cafe.

As he sat down, Cat could see that he was carrying two bags from the gift shop.

"Sorry that I left you, when we were passing by the gift shop, I saw something that I just had to get." he explained, handing her one of the bags, "I hope you like it."

Opening the bag, Cat was quite surprised by what she saw.

Surprised, but not happy.

"A plush stegosaurus?" she asked, holding up the green plush toy.

"Oh, wait. Wrong bag. That's for my sister." Andre replied, swapping bags with her.

Opening the other bag, Cat's sore mood quickly perked up.

It was an adorable purple plush giraffe.

_Aww! It's so cute. _

Holding the giraffe close to her, Cat's face was lit up.

Seeing Cat this happy was something that brought a good feeling over Andre.

He would do anything just to see her happy.

"I love it! I really do love it!" exclaimed Cat, over joyously rushing to hug Andre and kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you, so much!"

"Considering that you loved those giraffes, I thought what could be better to cheer you up?" Andre explained, as Cat sat back down, "So, what are you going to call it?"

Gazing at the purple giraffe, Cat came up with the first name on her mind, "It's so purply and it's clearly a male, so... how about Mr. Purple!"

"That's cute." smiled Andre, as he remember something important, "Um, Cat do you..."

* * *

At that moment, the rest of the class was getting ready to get back on the bus.

"C'mon, let's hurry up before the bus leaves us." laughed Cat, as she ran out of the cafe.

"Cat! Wait!" Andre called out, as he chased after her.

Stopping by the entrance of the zoo, Cat asked, "Yeah, what is it?"

Taking awhile to gather his thoughts, Andre asked, "You don't wanna talk about what happened earlier? You know... between us?"

Remembering their tender moment together, Cat could have easily insisted that she wanted to be more with Andre.

But for some reason, she didn't have the courage to do so.

_I so want to be with him... but he's already been through enough suffering because of me._

Shaking her head, Cat feigned a smile and said, "No. Nothing happened. We just got a little carried away, but that's it."

Andre looked in disbelief at what he was hearing, "Really? Nothing happened?"

"Yeah... can you just be my friend, please?" Cat uttered, holding back tears, "That's all I ask of you. So just drop it, okay?"

Before Andre got the chance to ask her what was wrong, Cat had already left to get back on the bus.

* * *

On the way back to school, both Andre and Cat sat quietly during the drive.

Andre couldn't believe what had happened.

It was the closest they were to finally getting together and... all she wanted was to be friends?

_I don't believe that she want to just be friends. I don't accept that. Not at all._

As they got off of the bus, Andre was about to ask her what was wrong, but he decided against it.

_Maybe now isn't the right time. Our emotions are all worked up and I wouldn't want to start an argument. I need to give her some time to think. Some time for both of us to think. Then, after some time has passed... I'm gonna ask her out and I'm gonna get to the bottom of this._

* * *

"Cat? Cat?! Do you still want a ride or not?"

Waking up from her daze, Cat realized that she was a fool for keeping Andre away from her.

She was tired of how things were now awkward between them because of her mistake.

Cat didn't want to be just friends with Andre.

She wanted much more.

* * *

Holding onto Mr. Purple, Cat knew her choice, "Yes, Jade. I could definitely use that ride."

* * *

**This chapter was _heavily _modified when it came to how it was in the original.**

**As a matter of fact, this chapter was actually pretty short at first but I decided to expand it some more and to be honest, I really like it this way.**

**Because of how this chapter is now written, I had to go back and change some things from the first chapter.**

**I got a little bit caught up with this chapter and the continuity went a little off.**

**So you might wanna reread the first chapter if you find yourself confused.**

**I promise that this is the only time I'll make this kind of mistake.**

**Future chapters will be done more carefully.**


	3. A Grape Flavored Kiss

**Chapter Three: A Grape Flavored Kiss**

_This is it... the moment I've been wait for._

Sitting on a bench inside of the mall's entrance, Andre Harris was staring absentmindedly at the drizzle that fell outside.

_She should have been here by now. _he thought, as he saw that it was 4:25._ Maybe she's running late or something more important came up. Yeah, that could be it... or what if... what if she just decided to not show up at all?_

* * *

As the minutes flew by, Andre slowly began to worry.

_Just give her some time... she wouldn't just leave me here without at least calling. Maybe I should call her._

Even after several tries, Andre was in no way able to get in contact with Cat.

_Just be patient... she's just running a little late. Stop worrying and just try to focus on something else._

Taking out his phone, Andre began playing _Grumpy Gerbils_ to pass the time by.

As expected, it worked, but eventually Andre realized that he'd been sitting there for almost an hour.

_It's 4:57 and she's nowhere to be found. *sighs* Guess she's not coming after all._

Try as he might, Andre couldn't help but feel both upset and confused.

_Why would she invite me to the mall and then not show up at all? Not even a phone call to explain things. It's just not like her to do something like this. But who knows, maybe she thought I would see this as more than just a simple outing and it scared her... ugh, I honestly don't know._

* * *

As he walked out of the mall, the once quiet drizzle turned into a roaring downpour.

Putting on his hood, Andre made his way through the sheets of water.

_Geez, I knew there was a chance for showers today, but since when does it rain like this in November?_

Once he made it to the dry sanctuary that was his car, Andre realized something quite bothersome.

_Thank God the doors were unlocked or else I would have been stuck- Fuck! I left my keys are on that bench... perfect! Absolutely perfect._

* * *

Running down the street as fast as she could, Cat Valentine was running incredibly late for her "date".

Even with the hood over her head, windblown raindrops stung her face like tiny needles.

She was determined to make it to the mall at any cost; letting Andre down was not an option in her mind.

But growing tired by the second, Cat had to stop at a bus stop to catch her breath.

Seeing that she had several blocks to go, she checked her watch for the time.

_4:33. It's taking me way too long to get there. Ugh, why did that officer had to pull us over?_

* * *

Twenty minutes ago, when Cat was still riding with Jade to the mall, they were stopped by a police officer.

Apparently, Jade had been driving around with a broken tail light.

As expected, Jade didn't take this news very well and called the officer a liar.

This led the officer to give Jade a ticket, which she then tore up.

As you may have guessed, the officer didn't take too kindly to this and asked Jade to step out of the car.

She got out... only to get into an even bigger argument with the officer.

Seeing that this was taking up too much of her time, Cat decided to just leave and walk the rest of the way.

They were only about four minutes from the mall, so she thought she would be able to make it a little after four o'clock.

But after running for a good five minutes, Cat still had a couple of blocks to go.

_Maybe I can call a cab or take the bus... wait, where's my purse? Where's my phone?!_

Thinking back to when she was still in the car, Cat realized that in a rush, she'd left them both in her seat.

_Ugh! You've got to be kidding me! This is so not fair!_

Feeling defeated, Cat started to think that she should give up.

She was tired, broke, hungry, and to make matters worse, the rain was starting to pour even harder.

Why bother to keep going?

* * *

As she sat there, Cat began to think about what she was doing.

_Am I really giving up? Just that easily? God, I'm such a fool. There's a boy... a boy who I care about very much, who's waiting for me to show up. It's the same boy who's been there for me many times over. That same boy who wouldn't give up so easily if it meant a lot to me. So how can I just give up on him?!_

Slowly picking herself up, Cat took a deep breath and began to walk down the street.

Even through the downpour, she was now more determined to make it to the mall.

Too tired to even run, it took Cat a little over twenty minutes to finally reach her destination.

* * *

Completely drenched and exhausted, Cat shivered as she walked through the entrance doors.

_Finally... I made it._

Gazing around her, Cat hoped she would catch a glimpse of Andre.

Sadly, she saw none.

Nothing but the shoppers who were coming and going, many of who wondered why the doused redhead was just standing there.

_He has to be somewhere around here. He just has to be._

As she continued to walk down the hall, Cat caught sight of a security guard.

_Maybe he's seen Andre and knows where he is._

"Excuse me? Sir?" she asked, walking over to the guard.

Puzzled by the redhead's appearance, the burly guard replied, "Yes... um, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cat responded, holding herself tightly as she tried to stop shivering, "Um, I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a guy; he's black, about this tall, has dreads, and he's really cute. He was supposed to be waiting for me at the entrance."

Thinking for a moment about Cat's brief description, the guard finally replied, "Oh, there was one guy. He was sitting there at that bench for quite awhile."

Looking back at the bench the guard pointed to, Cat eagerly asked, "Really? Is he still around here?"

"Nope, I'm afraid he left not five minutes ago." answered the guard, scratching his head, "Probably long gone by now. Sorry."

_What? No... he left?_

Trying to hide her reaction, Cat sighed, "Thanks... I'll just be going."

* * *

Slowly tearing up, Cat made her way to the bench.

It was hard for her to comprehend how after all that, she was just too late.

Quietly sobbing, Cat wondered how Andre must have felt with her not showing up.

_He must be so hurt by this. I had one chance... one chance to set things right, and now things are probably worse than ever. How is he ever going to forgive me?_

Cat didn't care about how she was gonna get home or even how she was going to dry off; she was far too depressed with how things ended up.

* * *

Having waited till the rain died down, Andre got out of his car and made his way back to the mall entrance.

_I can only hope that no one took my keys while I was gone._

As he shuffled past some awfully busy shoppers, Andre saw that his keys were still on the bench he sat at.

Walking over to it, he couldn't help but notice the drenched hooded figure who sat there.

As he got closer, Andre could hear the person softly crying.

_Hmm, they must be having one terrible day._

Grabbing his keys, Andre was on his way out when he noticed something familiar about the stranger.

The seated figure was wearing a grey and red Hello Kitty hoodie, but that wasn't what drew Andre's attention more.

Under the red hood, he could see bits of rain soaked, velvet red hair; and if that wasn't enough, the candy-striped cuffs were rolled up inward.

_I only know one person who wears her hoodie like that... she always said the sleeves were too long for her arms._

Inching closer to the person, Andre tapped on their shoulder, "Hey."

* * *

Wondering exactly what this stranger wanted with her, Cat didn't respond.

She just wanted to be left alone.

But the person standing in front of her just wouldn't take a hint, "Can you please just leave me alone...?"

Looking up, Cat's eyes widen as she saw Andre standing there, "Andre? How... I thought y-you left. I-I'm so sorry that I-."

Seeing Cat stumbling over her words, Andre sat next to her, "Calm down, okay? I'm just as surprised. Um, you're dripping wet and I should get you home."

As Andre helped her up, Cat shivered, "B-b-but what about our plans?"

"Those can wait, you'll catch a cold if you stay like this." he insisted, as they exited the mall.

Cat didn't understand how or even why Andre came back.

But she was glad that he did.

During the car ride home, Cat quickly drifted off to sleep.

She was just so tired from her long journey and was in need of some shuteye.

* * *

Arriving at Cat's house, Andre was surprised to see that neither her parents nor her brother's car was there.

_Can't just leave her here by herself._

Picking Cat up from out of his car, Andre carried her to the back of the house.

_No point in trying to use the front door. Ever since her brother tried to barricade himself in the house, that door has always been broken._

Relatively speaking, the Valentine's backyard was pretty wide, given their small house.

It was spacious, yet pretty cluttered with wet scraps of metal and piles of junk.

_You'd think her dad would find a better way to store his junkyard "treasure"._

Stepping over an overturned wheelbarrow, Andre finally reached the backdoor.

As he turned the knob, he realized that it was locked.

_I wonder if Mrs. Valentine still keeps that key under the flowerpots._

He remembered it because Cat would sometimes leave her house keys inside; so her mom would leave the spare outside for her.

Finding a chair to set Cat in, Andre searched through the many discarded pots.

Eventually, he found the rust covered key and used it to open the door.

* * *

Bringing Cat into the house and laying her down on the living room couch, Andre fell back into one of the empty armchairs.

Looking in front of him, he saw a note on the coffee table that was left by Cat's mom.

* * *

Your father and I won't be home for quite some time.

Had to go pick up your brother from San Diego.

Apparently, he was going on a blind date, but then his date stole his wallet and car.

Don't stay out too late with your friend.

Love you, Mom

* * *

"Hmm, that's not at all surprising." Andre sighed, as he placed the letter back on the table.

_*sighs* This is definitely not how I expected to spend this afternoon. But I just have to... for her._

* * *

Several minutes later, Cat was awoken by someone calling to her.

"Cat? Cat?! Wake up!"

Slowly opening her eyes, she was astonished when she saw that it was Andre who woke her.

"Hmm, just another five minutes." she mumbled, as he helped her sit up, "Oh! Hey, Andre."

"Hi, Cat." chuckled Andre, while Cat rubbed her eyes, "Now c'mon, you can sleep after you change out of those wet clothes."

Gradually waking up, Cat realized that she was indeed wearing soaked clothes, "Ugh, I like water, but not like this."

"Go change into some dry clothes and try to get some sleep." uttered Andre, as Cat left the living room, "I'll stay down here and try to clean up the puddles of water you left behind."

"Kay kay." yawned Cat, while walking up the stairs.

* * *

Finally out of her disgusting clothes, Cat changed into something more comfortable; some sweatpants and a plain yellow t-shirt.

Still exhausted from earlier, she was more than happy to get in her bed and take a nap.

_Just... a couple minutes... of sleep... that's all._

* * *

Waking up feeling really energized, Cat was stunned when she saw the time.

_8:42?! I slept for almost three hours?!_

Jumping out of bed, she rushed out of her room and down the stairs.

Walking into the den, Cat was surprised to see that Andre was still there.

In fact, she was actually pretty relieved that he stayed.

"I'm sorry that I slept for so long." she uttered, walking over to the couch where he sat, "You really didn't have to stay over."

"No, it's okay. I really didn't mind. I was mostly watching _World's Wildest Police Videos _anyway." replied Andre, as he got up, "Um, are you hungry? I could heat you up something."

After what she'd been through, Cat was starving for something to eat.

"Yeah, I really haven't eaten much all day." she responded, putting her feet up on the couch, "I could eat just about anything."

Going into the kitchen, Andre called out, "I'll see what I can find."

* * *

After waiting for several minutes, Cat was happy to see Andre return with a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, and a glass of grape juice.

"Aw, thanks." smiled Cat, as he handed her the bowl, "Mmm! It smells pretty good."

"Hope you love it." uttered Andre, sitting back down on the couch.

As she eagerly started to eat, Cat noticed that Andre looked as if something was on his mind.

"What is it? Is something on my face?" she asked, gulping loudly and wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"No, no, you're fine. It's just... you know about our plans earlier? Jade told me why you was running late."

Immediately remembering about Jade's situation, Cat asked, "You talked to Jade? How is she? She's not in jail or anything?"

"No, she called a few minutes ago. Lucky for her, she didn't get in anymore trouble with that officer. Although, she did say that she wanted to throw a brick at his car."

Gulping down some of her grape juice, Cat giggled, "Yup, that's Jade for you."

"Mmhmm... so you left her and I'm guessing you walked through all that rain, just so you wouldn't be late for our get together?"

* * *

Hearing this made Cat stop eating, she knew that eventually Andre would bring this up.

She remembered her original intent for going out with him, and the sheer thought of it's failure had upset her.

"It was more than a get together." Cat sighed, with her head down, "It was so much more than that... and now it's ruined."

Seeing that the redhead was starting to look depressed, Andre quickly began to console her.

"Hey, don't cry. Okay? We don't have to hang out at the mall to have a good time; or ride go karts, or play laser tag for that matter." he uttered, trying to think of things to do, "We could... we could watch some movies."

"No, that's what we always do. We watched every single movie that I have." Cat replied, setting her partially empty bowl on the table.

"Okay. Uh, how about a game?"

"What kind of game?"

Thinking for a moment, Andre remembered one that he and Cat used to love playing.

"You still keep all your board games in the hall closet?"

"Yeah, they're all in there." answered Cat, "What game do you have in mind?"

* * *

After leaving the room to go search the closet, Andre came back with a partially dusty box.

"You won't be _sorry_ after playing this game." he smiled, as he sat down on the floor, "C'mon, it'll be fun."

"_Sorry!_? We haven't played that game in years." Cat replied, as she too sat on the floor, "Fine. I'll play, but I get to be green this time."

"Okay, but I get first turn this time." Andre agreed, as he opened up the brittle box and started pulling out its content.

* * *

After just a few minutes of playing, Cat and Andre found themselves to be having quite a bit of fun.

It wasn't really from the actual game-play, but from the reminiscing that they did.

"I'm not surprised that I'm losing. You would always kick my ass at this game." sighed Andre, as he saw that Cat only had to get one more pawn to the home space in order to win.

Not buying what he was saying, Cat responded, "Oh, please! I know you would always let me win."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"I'll cry if you don't admit it." dared Cat, as Andre couldn't help but laugh, "You wouldn't like me when I'm pouty."

This made Andre laugh even harder, "Okay, okay! I may have let you win a couple of times, but that's it."

"Ha! I knew it." Cat giggled, as she rolled around on the floor, "Let me guess, you did it so I would be happy?"

"That's part of the reason." answered Andre, picking up a game card and moving one of his pawns six spaces on the board, "Whenever you would win, you would get so cheerful and have this really adorable smile. So don't blame me if I was willing to throw the game for that."

Trying her hardest not to laugh, Cat uttered, "I don't believe you would let me win just for that. It's so silly."

"It's not, okay?" snapped Andre, as Cat sat back up, "Moments like that meant a lot to me. It sounds stupid, but it's not."

Realizing how serious he was, Cat replied, "Oh... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't be. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." Andre sighed, trying to move on from the subject, "Um, it's your turn."

Picking up one of the cards and reading it, Cat took her pawn piece and slid it down the board. By doing so, her piece knocked Andre's two other pieces off the board.

"Hee hee! Sorry." Cat smiled, while Andre forced a small grin.

Even as they continued playing, Andre felt curious to ask Cat something that's been bugging him.

"I know it's a little off topic, but... exactly what made our plans at the mall so important? I mean, it's not uncommon for us to hang out; especially at the mall. But this time felt really different."

Finding herself dealing with Andre's curiosity, Cat finally decided to just come out with it.

* * *

After gulping down the last bit of her juice, she uttered, "It was a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, I asked you out, because I had to set things right with us." Cat added, twirling one of her game pieces with her fingers.

Taking a moment to think, Andre asked, "Does this have anything to do with what happened at the zoo?"

Surprised that he caught on so quickly, Cat simply nodded her head.

"I would be a liar if I said that it hasn't been on my mind lately." continued Andre, staring absently at the game board, "It really bothered me when things ended like that."

Sighing heavily, Cat threw her cards down, "I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to once again ruin something for us."

Confused as to why Cat was acting like this, Andre replied, "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

Slowly, Cat began tearing up; frantically trying to get her thoughts together.

"Why do you even like me, Andre?" asked Cat tearfully, "Wouldn't your life be so much better without me?"

Growing concerned for his friend, Andre moved over to hold her, "Stop that, you hear me? My life wouldn't be half as exciting if it wasn't for you."

"I'm the strange, ditsy redhead from the really bizarre family. My dad loves collecting tons of useless metal junk; my mom's a semi-professional Country Polka singer, and my brother sleeps in a room with a smelly cow. There's nothing normal about any of that."

"So what? You think all that would turn me away?" asked Andre, wiping the tears from her face, "If anything, it makes you more unique."

Sniffling, Cat questioned him further, "But what about all the mocking and the numerous fights that you've had to go through just for being my friend? Y-you've been through so much over the years... because of me. Can't you see that I'm not worth the trouble? Can't you-"

Tired of hearing the redhead belittling herself, Andre turned her towards him and pulled her in for a kiss.

To say that Andre's gesture surprised her, was an understatement.

The kiss, while somewhat brief, had left Cat trembling.

Ecstatic, yet trembling.

* * *

"W-why... *sniffles* you k-kissed me?" she inquired, looking as if her mind was frantically racing to figure out what was going on.

"Yeah, I did."

"B-but why?"

Taking a deep breath, Andre replied, "Hmm, I thought I was being pretty obvious there. You think that just because a bunch of jerks mock me for being your friend, that I would just abandon you? What kind of person would that make me?"

Slowly, Cat began to calm down. Although, she still couldn't shake off the excitement from the kiss.

"Look, I'm not perfect myself. I sometimes get **way** too emotional with my music; my grandma... well, let's just say that at times she makes your brother look tame; and even though I keep denying it, I do in fact like a lot of ketchup on my food." laughed Andre, as Cat giggled, "But despite all of this, it doesn't change the fact that I've fallen in love with my best friend. So if it's crazy for me to wanna be with you, then just call me insane."

Feeling herself tearing up again, Cat quickly wiped the tear from her eyes.

Why couldn't she grasp the fact that Andre wanted to be with her despite what others thought?

Why couldn't she just understand how much she'd meant to him?

"Now that you know my answer, all I really want to know is... am I worth it to you? Am I worth all that we'll have to face if we're together?"

As she looked deep in Andre's eyes, Cat could just feel the intensity that overwhelmed her.

_Just... just tell him, Cat. Tell him that he's worth so much more._

From what Andre could tell, it looked as if Cat was hesitating over whether to give an answer.

"Cat, I don't know what else I can do to make you understand." Andre added, slowly looking unsure of how things were going, "Do you-"

But before he could even finish his sentence, Cat quickly embraced him in a very passionate kiss.

With this, she felt far more confident than before. Just knowing that Andre was willing to go the whole nine yards with her... well, it was the ultimate confidence boost.

"How's that for an answer?" she beamed, as her cheeks were completely flushed.

"Much better than what I was expecting. Although, I never expected a grape flavored kiss to taste that good." smiled Andre, brushing some of her hair from her face, "I'm guessing you're not sorry for that, now are you?"

"Nope, not at all." she giggled, as they readily went back to kissing.


End file.
